Wednesday, October 31, 2007

here i am, rocking like a hurricane

i mean, happy halloween!

this morning i tried day three, week five of the running podcasts and failed miserably. it is five minutes warm up walk, 20 minutes running, and five minutes cool down walk. i could only run for about 12 minutes before my knees felt like they were going to snap in half. what a BUMMER! this could be because i only got about 6 hours of sleep last night. or it could be too much for my body to handle. whatever it is, i am not impressed. i will try again on friday morning after a good night's sleep.

in other news, my cookies are a great success. i brought some to a party last night and people liked them. my bf picked some up before school today and hopefully the kids like them! and i brought some to work today and my coworkers are gobbling them down like thanksgiving turkeys. gobble gobble. i should have brought more. i can, because there are still about 30-40 left. that isn't too bad at all.

here is today's menu:
breakfast:
chocolate chip banana bran muffin (1)
tea (0)
coffee (0)
oatmeal (2)
3/19

snack:
yogurt (1)
4/19

lunch:
chef boyardee mac and cheese (3)
2 slices sprouted grains toast (2)
9/19

snack:
fruit (1)
toast with peanut butter (3)
13/19

dinner:
i don't know yet.

here are some pics from halloween. i am courtney love although it was difficult not to look like gwen. grrrr.

getting ready:


kurt and courtney. maybe i should ask people before i post their costumed selves on the world wide web. maybe.


playing guitar hero... my new favourite game!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

tuesday menu

breakfast:
chocolate chip banana bran muffin (1)
1/19

snack:
1/3 cup oatmeal (2)
3/19

lunch:
steamed cauliflower (0) thanks to those new GLAD steam bags, i can steam veggies at work.
fruit mix of grapes, watermelon, and kiwi (1)

1/2 tuna sandwich, bread (1), tuna with ff miracle whip (1)
6/19

snack:
1/2 tuna sandwich (2)
8/19

dinner:
chicken breast (2)
greeny beanies (0)
hungry girlfredo (1)
11/19

this isn't a lot of food points-wise, but it will keep me full and i am going to a party tonight and plan on indulging in wine and festive treat or two.

halloween cookies

i decorated the cookies last night. it took me two hours, from 10-12:30pm. ay ay ay! i decided not to ice any and just stick with the chocolate vampire design, because i have WAY too many candy corns.

and thus, without further ado, is how to make vampire cookies. (in twenty-three easy steps.)

step one: combine sugar and butter.


step two: beat it up.


step three: mix dry ingredients.


step four: take a picture of sergeant meowenstein looking so cute.


step five: mix dry and wet ingredients. eggs and vanilla were already added to the butter/sugar mix.


step six: eat some raw dough. even though your mom told you repeatedly as a kid not to eat raw cookie dough because of the raw eggs, you now know it was all a lie because she's eating some too.


step seven: make big balls of dough and wrap them.


step eight: refridgerate!


step nine: roll it out.


step ten: use a wine glass for perfect circles and put on cookie sheet.


step eleven: smell them. mmmmmm.


step twelve: roll out more and more dough because you made five times the amount and it's gonna take awhile.


step thirteen: stack them.


step fourteen: put them in a giant shoebox lined with wax paper for transporting home. what you see here is the second layer.


step fifteen: on your trusty scale, weigh some chocolate chips.


step sixteen: put chips in a bowl over a pot with water.


step seventeen: add oil. oily chocolate chips look good.


step eighteen: organize your decorations.


step nineteen: continue to melt chocolate.


step twenty: begin to decorate.


step twenty-one: vampire army! these should be placed in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden and set.


step twenty-two: try and find containers and room in the fridge for more than two hundred vampire cookies.


step twenty-three: collapse.

Monday, October 29, 2007

severe candy corn shortage

well. i can't find candy corn anywhere in this city. yesterday in the burbs i went to the bulk barn, expecting to find a giant tub of it ready for the scooping and they didn't have any. SOLD OUT. loblaws at lunch today didn't have any either. i am going to try the dominion by my office after work today because they have a pretty solid bulk section.

i have decided to make 1/2 vampire cookies and ice the other half. just for kicks. i forgot my camera USB cord so my baking photos will have to wait until tomorrow.

until then, i got this neat cereal info in my inbox this morning.

how to choose healthy cereals:

1) Remember the "Rule of Fives": Choose cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving, and less than 5 grams of sugar.
2) Look for each serving to contain at least 3 grams of protein.
3) Read the ingredients list. The top ingredients should be "whole wheat", or "wheat bran"--not just "wheat". These whole grains are naturally low in fat, and high in fiber.
4) Avoid cereals that list hydrogenated oils, artificial dyes or colors, and chemical preservatives as ingredients--these have no place in a healthy diet!

manic monday

i didn't have the best weekend, eating wise, but it's a new week. friday night my boyfriend and i ordered pizza. i wanted him to order a medium "philly cheese steak" with whole wheat crust, and a side order of this chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs. when the pizza comes it is a large philly cheese steak pizza, an order of the nuggets, AND a medium cheese pizza, because "it was only $3 more." i actually didn't mind because having two kinds of pizza is more fun and plain cheese is lower in points. but i digress, i ate too much pizza.

saturday wasn't *too* bad actually. we went for a nice walk in kensington to pick up some last minute touches for the halloween costumes, and then i made a delicious baked pasta for dinner. mmmmm. just thinking about it makes me drool. the parties were fun - we went to goin steady (a 50s and 60s rock n roll dance party) and then to a house party.

yesterday i drove to the burbs and my mom and i proceeded to bake a thousand cookies. thanks again to mrs. furious for the recipe. i took some pics of our extreme baking and will post them a bit later.

this morning i completed day two of week five of the couch to 5k running podcasts. it is a five minute warm up walk, then run eight minutes, walk five, run eight and walk five for the cool down. my ipod cut out about 10 minutes before the end so it was all an estimation. it is my opinion that ipods are overpriced and stupid. yes, i own one and it does work but the battery life is NOT GOOD. i also have a sony sport arm band mp3 player too (i bought it on ebay) but i couldn't figure out how to load songs on it. it only works with PCs, and all my songs are on my MAC at work. i thought i loaded songs on it, but then i tried it out at the gym and the only song that would play was the one it came with. good times. so i'll figure it out... someday!

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
banana bread (6)
(i'm actually guessing here but i did eat a fair amount of this... )
6/19

lunch:
Primo roast chicken and noodle soup, 1 can (4)
2 slices sprouted grains toast (2)
12/19

dinner:
1/2 spaghetti squash (1-2)
leftover pasta, 1 cup (4)
chicken breast (2)
20/19

and i'm going to decorate cookies tonight so i'll save all my activity points for the cookie monster. is he eating vegetables? what in the world!?

what kind of cookie are you?

Friday, October 26, 2007

i bet you can't tell me

that you don't want this omelet pan for one.



and all the other cute little eggies.

happy friday

hello everyone. i am in the best mood today! why? because it's friday! and because my office is going out for lunch today (and paying) to this place called "the sultan's tent." i have never been there but always wanted to try it out.

last night after work i rode my bike to kensington market and bought courtney love and kurt cobain wigs from exile. then i went home, made eggs and toast for dinner, did laundry including my stinky new value village purchases, went to the gym, came home and baked those delicious chocolate chip banana bran muffins, sewed a collar onto my costume, watched the biggest loser that i taped from tuesday, and went to bed. i love halloween!

here are some of my costumes from previous years:

last year, i was raggedy anne:


the year before that, i was this scary corpse bride:


and the year before that, this enchanted princess:


this morning was weigh-in and i gained 1.2 this week, which is fine by me, because 122.8 is a very comfortable number between 120-125 (my comfort zone.) this morning i also did day one of week five of the couch to 5k running podcasts. alright!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

uh oh

i can tell it's going to be one of those days already... what kind of day? a hungry day! how do i know? because i'm still hungry!
i think running more is turning me into a hungrier person. i hate being hungry. actually i love being hungry, if food is prepared and in sight and ready to eat and smelling good. i hate waiting to eat when i'm hungry... it turns me into a pinchy crab.

today at lunch i'm going to ride my bike to value village and look for halloween costumes for my bf and me. we are going as kurt cobain and courtney love. it should be really funny if i can pull it together. why do i always wait until the last minute!

this morning's ride to work was chilly! there aren't many riding days left unless i break out the winter gear that i don't have. i think i'd rather invest in some outdoor winter running gear. the thought of the treadmill all winter long is so boring.

next week i'm going to make these for halloween. aren't they so adorable? i think i might sub in a regular sugar cookie recipe though. do you think that would affect the toppings at all? i hope they turn out well... my baking tends to go either way. a few weeks ago i tried baking a can of pumpkin with cake batter and it tasted like poo. pumpkin poo. my bf ate one and his review was, "gross." yep, gross!

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
oatmeal (2)
2/19

snack:
1/2 cup cheerios (1)
yogurt(1)
4/19

lunch:
2 slices bodywise wheat bread (2)
1/2 can tuna with fat free miracle whip (2)
lipton cup of soup (1)
9/19

snack:
pear (1)
10/19
maybe grapes too (1)
ok and rye crackers
12/19

dinner:
not sure, but i'm thinking about pasta, or i have 1/2 spaghetti squash to use.
nope i changed my mind to breakfast pour dinner!
1 egg + 2 whites, scrambled (3)
2 slices turkey bacon (2)
2 slices sprouted grains bread (2)
19/19

and after the gym tonight i'll enjoy some popcorn or cookies (my mom's homemade. i still have 2 left which i a proud of since she only gave me a small ziplock bag of them THREE weeks ago!)

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

vestday

did you know that wednesday is also vestday?

from wikipedia:

"An English language idiom for Wednesday is "hump day", a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week as getting "over the hump". It is also informally referred to as "the peak of the week". Another popular tradition in the United States is to wear a sweater vest on this mid-week business day. This has led Wednesday to be referred to as Vestday."

i am not wearing a vest but i wish i was. i only have one vest and it's too big so i can't wear it.

today i brought my workout clothes to work and i am going for a run AT LUNCH. yes, you heard it right here. and why not? i get an hour and this podcast only takes 32 minutes total. i don't want my progress to slack because i want to run a 5k soon, possibly before the end of the year. this won't happen if i'm excuses ellen all the time.

here is today's menu:
breakfast:
oatmeal (2)
yogurt (1)
3/19

pre-run:
banana (2)
5/19

lunch:
pc blue menu vegetable lasagna (6)
11/19

snack if i'm hungry
3 rye crackers (1)
12/19

dinner: mystery as per usual.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

fun post

every year at work i get this catalogue with hideous items in it. well, every year being the two that i've worked here.

here are some doozies. get your holiday shop on!



ho ho holiday shoes.

maybe this animal print santa sweater is more your fancy.

perhaps you and your husband would like to wear matching sweaters. gag!

this is listed as "glamorous party sweater.

that's all for today, thankfully!

rainy tuesday

my back is killing me today. it was killing me yesterday as well. last night i took a robaxasol or whatever it's called and it made me really nauseated. then i looked at the bottle and saw that the pills were expired. yikes. i have had many bad experiences with expired pills, so one would think i would check the bottle each time, but no. i don't like taking medicine if i can avoid it, so things always expire before i can use them.

i told myself last night i could have two cookies (mom's homemade) in bed if i got up early and went for a run. well, i got up early, but it was pouring rain. some people are into running in the rain, but not me, especially not first thing in the morning. so instead i made coffee and had a bath and drank the coffee in said bath while reading. nice one!

it's supposed to clear up later so hopefully i can run tonight after work. the scale is showing me up a little bit and i know why. it's classic self-sabotage. i'm doing well so what's a little bite here and there. today i'm going to be religious about points. no extra bites! tonight the bf's band is playing on king west. woohoo!

today's menu:

breakfast:
oatmeal (2)
2/19

snack:
40g raisins (2)
4/19

lunch:
chunky beef soup (4)
2 slices bodywise bread (1)
9/19

snack:
grapes (1)
10/19

dinner: mystery!

Monday, October 22, 2007

manic monday

this morning i turned off my alarm and decided to shut my eyes for one little second. the next thing i knew it was 8:30 ahhhhhh! it's a beautiful day here in toronto. warm and sunny and perfect for biking to work. my back is killing me though. i need some robaxacet or something!

yesterday i went to costco with my mom and it was a dream come true. giant boxes of fibresource granola bars, smartpop popcorn bags, all-bran bars, equal sweeteners... i will never have to go shopping again. i also got two spaghetti squashes which i am pretty excited about. i will eat 1/2 of one tonight.

on saturday i completed day two of week four of the running podcasts. it wasn't so bad except my pants kept falling off (i'm not complaining), i saw a gross dead squirrel on the sidewalk, and i was having extreme stomach discomfort with an emergency at the end! not fun. it is looking like a busy week ahead for me so i'm going to try at do the final run of this week tonight at the gym. maybe outside, post-gym... the treadmill is so boring!

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
2.5 slices of sprouted grains bread (2.5)
2.5/19

lunch:
leany cuisiney (5)
7.5/19

either mid-morning or afternoon snack:
smoothie (i made this morning) with:
1 pear (1)
strawberries (0.5)
yogurt (1)
1/2 banana (1)
11/19

another snack:
granola bar (2)
13/19

dinner:
greeny beanies (0)
spaghetti squash (1)
chicken breast (3)
17/19

and more:
popcorn (3)
20/19

Friday, October 19, 2007

biggest loser

so i watched my tape of the biggest loser last night, and this is what i have to say:

i like the trainers. bob, kim, and that other one with the big arm muscles.

and it seems like the contestants like the trainers too. except, it seems like kim always has trouble with her team. this week she was yelling at the cowboy, using the "f-word"... and he stormed off. is this for real? is it because she has trouble motivating her team? they win all of the challenges! i don't know. it just bothered me. i hate to see people fighting on tv. maybe i'm too sensitive.

friday whoopahhhh!

happy friday everyone. today's weigh in is a loss of 1.2 pounds - from 122.8 to 121.6. hooray! 120-125 is my comfort zone but of course I prefer a lower number.

yesterday i got my new running shoes and they are awesome! i went to the gym last night and had a hardcore workout. 30 mins on the elliptical, weight machines, a running podcast and situps. the week four running podcast is a lot tougher than week three! it's 5-min. warm up walk, 3 minutes running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running, 2.5 minutes walking, (repeat the running and walking) and 5-min. cool down walk. that's 16 minutes of total running. it sucks that i had to do it on the treadmill but i still did it and am feeling really proud of myself. 5k here i come! my legs were sooooo sore after.

i'm so happy it's the weekend, almost. tonight i'm going to see she wants revenge at the opera house. rock dance party!

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
latte with 1/2 cup light silk soy and espresso
oatmeal pancakes (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp splenda brown sugar)

lunch:
chef boyardee microwave cup
2 slices ww bread
cheese string
apple

dinner: yet to be determined but it's going to include a big fat glass of red wine!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

edit

my shoes came!

stupid tv

here is a more real post:

i always tape (instead of watch) the tv shows that are on in the evenings during prime time. this is for several reasons:

1) i am busy, with stuff to do, like go to the gym and read books, etc.
2) i can't stand just sitting through and watching commercials.
3) i like to fastforward through commercials on a tape.
4) i like to watch tv shows when i feel like it, at my own convenience.

so i taped gossip girl and biggest loser on tues. but now because i read too many blogs i already know who got kicked off. stupid tv! i only have myself to blame really.

so apparently usps is good for my shoes' entire journey and...

At Foreign Delivery Unit, October 18, 2007, 7:29 am, CANADA
Out of Foreign Customs, October 17, 2007, 11:37 am, CANADA
Into Foreign Customs, October 17, 2007, 11:33 am, CANADA
Arrived Abroad, October 17, 2007, 11:33 am, CANADA
International Dispatch, October 14, 2007, 7:54 am, O'HARE APT/CHICAGO
Processed, October 14, 2007, 7:53 am, CHICAGO, IL 60666
Processed, October 13, 2007, 2:17 pm, MILWAUKEE, WI 53203
Acceptance, October 13, 2007, 12:49 pm, NORTH PRAIRIE, WI 53153

does this mean they will be in my hands tomorrow? huh huh huh!

thursday menu

breakfast:
oatmeal (2)
strawberries (0.5)
2.5/19

snack:
banana (2)
4.5/19

lunch:
veggie lasagna (6)
10.5/19

snack:
grapes (1)
11.5/19

dinner:
leftover pizza (4)
big salad with nuts (4)
19.5/19

and maybe popcorn later because i'm going to the gym big time tonight.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

come on shoes, get here already.

i am waiting patiently for my shoes. since they were sent usps, i only have a number that tracks the shoes until they leave the united states. this was at the chicago airport on october 14. that was a few days ago, so hurry up shoes! i was going to run again this morning but couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. oh boy. i went to the gym last night and rode my bike to work, so that's probably enough activity so long as i step it up tomorrow.

i got new batteries for my scale yesterday. i went to this battery store in the underground scotia plaza and they tried to sell me batteries for $24.99 each! (i needed two.) not having that. after work i rode to the source by circuit city where they were only $6.99 each. very strange price difference. i really like the source by circuit city. at first i wasn't into it, because i thought it would be just another radio shack, but the prices are very reasonable and the sales people have always been really helpful to me.

last night at my book club i was all pumped to have a pint of amsterdam framboise beer—but they took if off tap! thanks jerks! they replaced it with pumpkin ale, which i had. it was alright. i seem to be on a mission to want to really like pumpkin, even though i only sort of do. like pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, pumpkin ale... i think it's because i know how good for you pumpkin is. there are many foods—like green beans for example—which i used to hate but now love because i know how good they are for me.

tonight i have a stay at home date which is nice. here is today's menu up until dinnertime.

breakfast:
oatmeal with a bit of milk and strawberries (3)
3/19

lunch:
microwave meal of chili (3)
leftover greenie beanies (0)
2 slices ww bread (1)
7/19

i have grapes and a pear hanging around work, but chili is so filling i don't think i'll be hungry. ok back to work. :o)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

fit and fab

i don't have batteries yet for my scale, but that's ok. i might go after work to a computer store. maybe. i brought the old batteries in my purse so i wouldn't even have to attempt to sound like i know what i'm talking about. i can just put them on the counter, and point and grunt.

the food at the gala last night was really good. and one of our authors won. there were little flintstones lamb thingies on mashed potatoes, french fry wedges with beef and duck, covered in your choice of cheese curds, blue cheese, or fresh parm, then drizzled with gravy. it sounds like a lot but everything was very mini. there were also little appetizers going around like thai spring rolls, and brie cheese things, and tied veggies with orange dip, and more. yum yum. the deserts were also delicious - a tree of strawberries dipped in white and milk chocolate, little cheesecakes, etc.

in other news, last week i went to the running room and got fitted for new running shoes. apparently i have a rolling left foot or something like that. at one of my old jobs this client traded brand new nikes for our services, so i had a pair of these (really ugly) nikes, but i couldn't keep wearing them because the arch on the left foot was really hurting me! it seems i need shoes like this for my rolling foot, but softer, more comfortable ones. in the end i chose mizuno wave inspire 3's. and then i bought them on ebay because they were $159.99 in the store and that is totally obscene. Here are they if anyone wants to look at them. They haven't come in the mail yet. I'm impatient but don't expect them to come until next week.

i was going to get up early and go to the gym but last night i put the flannel duvet cover on my duvet and just couldn't get out of bed until the last second this morning. snooze! i am hoping to go tonight after work but i'll have to make the most of my time since i also have a book club meeting. have a nice day everyone!

menu:
breakfast:
flax oatmeal from a package (2)
1/2 banana (1)
3/19

lunch:
whole wheat french bread (2)
fat free chicken (1)
garden minestrone soup (2)
8/19

snacks:
pear (1)
grapes (1)
10/19

dinner:
oh what to have for dinner! i don't know how people plan these things in advance. spontaneous dinners are a single woman's dream, ha.

Monday, October 15, 2007

moo it's monday

it's already 4pm and i've only now got a chance to log into blogger. busy day!

i had a pretty good weekend... my only real downfall was visiting my parents last night and watching my mom bake her famous chocolate chip cookies, eating (sneaking) dough, eating (ok, and sneaking) warm gooey cookies, taking more cookies back to my own house, eating more, etc. i brought most of them to work today and they were a big hit. the rest i put in the freezer.

this morning i got on the scale and it said 122.0 at first. this would be a 0.8 drop since friday. me losing weight on the weekends = never happens. so i got off the scale, looked underneath to see if maybe dust bunnies were creating some sort of scale fantasy weight, and got back on. this time it said "Lo." yes, thank you, i'd like it if the scale just confirmed that i was at a "Lo" weight, but i think it means low battery! it was quite a shock to realize how quickly i planned out where i could get new batteries for this scale (at a computer store or something). it goes to show that i don't want to be without that scale for even one day. sure, there may be days where i choose not to get on, but i always want to have that option! i'll be without tomorrow morning but that's alright. one day, i can handle. i mean, i'm not a crazy obsessive... or anything.

this morning i did run four of week three of the couch to 5k training podcasts. technically, i should have been doing week four, but i haven't downloaded it yet and there really isn't any harm in staying at this level until tuesday!

here is today's menu:
breakfast:
oatmeal (2)
1/2 banana (1)
3/19

lunch:
deli meat (1)
whole wheat baguette (2)
mixed veggies (0.5)
6.5/19

snack
2 cookies... or was it three! (3)
9.5/19

dinner:
i am going to this book gala, so i'm not quite sure. everything in moderation!

Friday, October 12, 2007

tgif and weigh-in

guten morgan. today's weigh-in was a great success (122.8, from 125.0), despite the office chocolate i've been sneaking in all week. i think it's because of the copious amounts of exercise i've been getting.

monday: 400 cals burned on my mom's tony gazelle & did a running podcast
tuesday: 400 cals burned on the gym elliptical, plus weights
wednesday: running podcast in the morning, rode my bike to and from work, 300 cals burned on gym elliptical, 50 cals burned on the gym bike.
thursday: 400 cals burned on gym elliptical, plus weights

that isn't too shabby. i was going to do another running podcast this morning but chose to sleep instead. i rode my bike to work and wore fleece gloves—it's getting cold!

i have found another interesting food that i never knew i loved - raisins! when i was a kid i was never into raisins, but now, yum yum! i think it's because i heard that rumour of bunny poops being found in those little halloween raisin boxes... has anyone else heard this? i bought a sunmaid sealtight container a few days ago and they are delicious, not to mention poop free. who would have thought! the funny thing is that in the grocery store, i debated between buying the cheaper, generic equality brand and the more expensive sunmaid kind... and was really grossed out by the equality ones - like they were a poorer quality or something. maybe they aren't as good - they aren't even from california!

lately i've been fancying myself a great chef, even though this isn't really the case. today i am making chicken noodle soup in my slow cooker. i have never used this slow cooker but have owned it for longer than i care to admit. i am a bit nervous about leaving it running while no one is home all day (but the cats), but i'm giving it a try. here is my recipe:

2 cans low sodium or ff chicken broth
1 can water
some chicken
frozen veggies (i used a mix of peas, carrots, corn, and green beans) because i LOATHE hellery



anyway, you cook it on low all day (8 hours) and then 30 minutes before eating, add egg noodles, set it to high, then enjoy.

i also tried this recipe found on the ww.ca site yesterday for turkey tetrazzini.

mix cooked egg noodles, mixed vegetables, fat free sour cream and turkey, season to taste and put in a baking dish. sprinkle with bread crumbs and parm cheese and bake until heated through.

well i thought i was quite a master chef until i realized (halfway through baking) that i forgot the turkey. i guess i'm not nigella lawson yet. :o( i poked it in and it turned out ok... sort of bland though. i only had a few bites because it's for tonight.



today's menu:

breakfast:
pc blue menu oatmeal (2)
raisins (2)
4/19

lunch:
2 slices ww bread (1)
chef boyardee cup of something (4)
9/19

dinner:
chicken noodle soup and turkey tetrazzini of course.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

beer beer beer

i think i forgot to answer this question for sara, so here it is.

cranberry maple wheat beer can be found at the local 4 restaurant close to wellesley and yonge.

however, the tastiest beer i have ever come across is amsterdam framboise, served in pint glasses at the victory cafe - one block west and one block south of bathurst and bloor in mirvish village. mmmmm.

feeling better

yesterday was the pits! when i left work it was raining and cold and i had to ride my bike all the way home in the rain! boooooo! it's about 5km and i was soaked. i had to stop at my voting station first as well. my black pants were so wet they looked like leather - yuck. i got home and made some tea and ate a 100 cal pack of oreos. then i went to the gym and went to the grocery store.

i made this potato pancake recipe:

1 med/large potato grated
1 zucchini grated
1 large carrot grated
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 eggs, slightly whisked
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper

combine all ingredients. spray a pan with non-stick spray and cook away. it made about 4-5 pancakes (1/2 cup heaping each)
since i'm not a ww online member anymore i don't have the recipe builder but i calculated this at about 2 points each. i ate 2 with some ff sour cream and they were pretty good. it was a pain in the ass trying to squeeze water out of those veggies though. i have two left so i will eat them tonight for dinner.

thank goodness tomorrow is friday. i was up late reading last night and need to go to bed early tonight. i am a zzz zombie.

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
disturbing amounts of coffee, at home and at work (0)
1/2 cup oats (2)
banana (2)
4/19

i am still hungry but am waiting for lunch.

lunch:
some sort of microwave meal (6)
10/19

dinner:
more pancakes (4)

and then snacks yet to be determined.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

chocolate

i'd like to say that i only ate one piece of office chocolate but that would be a lie.

wednesday GREAT

well, i'm in a huge funk today. bf cancelled our date so he can go home and vote. that really is perfectly reasonable, except my uterus is killing me! man oh man. of course i'm super emo and that makes everything worse and i have to pee every five minutes... what is going on here? not to mention this girl in my office keeps humming! stop stop stop the hum!

this morning i completed run number two of week three of the couch to 5k podcasts. week three isn't very hard in comparison to week two. it's a five minute warm up walk, then two sets of running 1 1/2 minutes, walking 1 1/2 minutes, running 3 minutes, walking 3 minutes. i guess in my mind it's easy because it's only the same pattern twice, and week one and two had six or eight times the same runs. i'm probably not even making sense. i was thinking about buying new running shoes at lunch, but i don't really want to spend any money. i need new shoes, and having new things does make me happy. hmmm. i'll think about it i guess. i could go on the way home from work as well.

my boss at work just got back from israel with a lot of chocolate. milk, dark, and extra dark. yesterday the dark was opened and i had a small (ish) piece. today the milk was opened and i had a tiny piece. it was so friggin' good. do you think i can not eat anymore of it? maybe!

here is today's menu:

2 slices ww toast before run (1)
1/19

breakfast:
1/2 cup oats (2)
banana (2)
5/19

lunch:
2 slices ww bread (1)
2 oz. turkey straight from the thanksgiving bird (2)
1/2 can of garden minestrone soup (2)
10/19

snack:
chocolate (1) it probably isn't even 1 but better count it anyway...
yogurt (1)
apple (1)
13/19

if i get new running shoes i'm going to the gym for sure (to try them out of course) so that will give me some more activity points. i'm feeling like i want something super comforting for dinner. like a meat pie or stew or pasta.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

thanksgiving

this thanksgiving, i was thinking a lot about all the things i have to be thankful for.

1) loving parents

2) a great sister

3) a really wonderful boyfriend who is truly a real partner in my life

4) nice friends

5) a cute, adorable cat

6) a job i enjoy

7) my health

it kind of made me think about the things i want to change. the only real thing is that i'd like to make more money. i work in the arts and truthfully it doens't pay very well. it's enough to live of course, but without the help of my parents i wouldn't be able to afford things like a down payment on a mortgage, or even new running shoes. so how do i make more money? i guess i should start thinking about it. i don't want to change jobs, but i'd like to supplement my income in other ways.

i managed not to indulge too much this weekend. stratford was amazing, and i also went to the african lion safari. yesterday i was up at 8am helping my mom make a thanksgiving feast. we had pumpkin pie, apple crisp, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, green beans, gravy, rolls... yum! i also used my mom's tony gazelle machine yesterday and went for a jog - bad idea... it felt like it was a thousand degrees outside!

on saturday morning i weighed in at 125.0 and i was the same this morning so i must have done something right! this is still my get-back-in-action number so this week i have to try hard and be good. i have found a new breakfast love - real quaker oats. they take longer to cook in the microwave but so delicious!



here is today's menu:

breakfast:
1/2 cup quaker oats (2)
banana (2)
4/19

lunch:
2 slices ww bread (1)
ff chicken deli style (1)
raw cauliflower (0)
yogurt (1)
small apple (0.5)
7.5/19

snack:
soup to go (1)
rye crackers (1)
9.5/19

dinner:
i do have leftover turkey and mashed turnip, so maybe that... if not then a veggie burger and salad probs.

Friday, October 5, 2007

a cup annie

i guess no lurkers are reading my blog! ha!

yesterday at lunch i went to la senza in one of the underground shopping malls. if any of you live in toronto and work in this business district, you'll know that these underground PATHS are quite a maze. i don't know how anyone finds anything. anyhoo, i got four new bras in my correct cup size. i even got an old european lady working there to measure me properly, and it was just as i feared. now i may look flatter in shirts, but they fit better! no longer do i have the buttons popping open, hanging on for dear life syndrome. all in all, i guess i'm happy i know the truth. this is my body and while it is slightly boyish, i like it.

in other news, my falafel at the restaurant was terrific. i couldn't order it with no cashews, because they were ground and pre-mixed into the balls or something. it came with a big salad with onions which i love. crunch! i got dressing on the side and ate 1/2 the sandwich. i also had one beer. i know i wasn't going to drink, but it was a cranberry maple wheat beer and sounded exciting. it was alright, but i probably wouldn't order it again. and, considering the other girls sitting around me had at least 3-4 drinks each, i think i made out pretty well.

this morning i woke up early and went to the gym. i did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then weights, then 10 minutes on the treadmill, then some situps. then i rode my bike to work. active! i don't really *enjoy* going to the gym in the morning but i have to fit it in sometime, and my gym closes early on fridays for sabbath.

this weekend should be good. tonight i am taking it easy, and tomorrow my bf and i are going to stratford to see the merchant of venice. maybe i'll reread the coles notes at lunch ;o). sunday we are going to african lion safari, i think, and then i'm driving us to mississauga, where both our parents live. how convenient! sunday i'll stay over at my parent's house, and monday help my mom cook and then eat moderate portions of a thanksgiving feast. and catch up on shows i taped during the week like heroes, gossip girl, and grey's anatomy.

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
2 slices ww toast (1) - pre-gym
1 cup all bran cereal (1)
1 yogurt (1)
strawberries (0)
3/19

lunch:
1/2 leftover falafel (?)
soup to go if i'm still hungry (1)

snack:
rye crackers (1)
yogurt (1)
apple (1)

dinner:
i'm hoping for turkey hotdogs :o)

happy thanksgiving everyone!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

lurkers delurk!

i read about this on another blog

The Great Mofo Delurk 2007

if you are reading my blog, let me know by posting a comment.

cheers! :o)

thursday?

is it thursday already? that's pretty good! and a long weekend too. i don't really have any sort of "thanksgiving plan" other than not stuffing my face. everything in moderation. as much veggies as i want. one roll/bun. i don't need gravy on everything - maybe only on potatoes? anyhoo. i don't like pie so that has never been much of a temptation.

did you know that turkey is good for uplifting your mood? it's true. that is also why people feel calm and sleepy after eating turkey dinners. i'm sure that overstuffed feeling helps too.

tonight i am going out for dinner here . it's a friends birthday. what should i order? i am thinking about the falafel with no cashews. yes, i love cashews. who doesn't? but i ate nuts last night! NOOOOOOOOOO! aw nuts!

today at lunch i have to boot around town. i am going to a) try on my new bra size at la senza. yesterday i told my bf about the bra size discovery and he said "yah, no kidding!" b) buy a birthday present for my friend. i'm thinking a book! and c) return printer cartridges to business depot. busy lunch!

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
shreddies (3)
strawberries (0)
light silk soy (1)
4/19

lunch:
2 slices ww bread (1)
fat free turkey, 2 slices (1)
carrots (0)
apple (1)
7/19

snacks:
3 rye crackers (1)
yogurt (1)
9/19

this leaves 10 points for dinner and i definitely am not drinking alcohol at dinner. i rode my bike to work today, and i am planning on riding it home before dinner, and either riding or walking to the restaurant. i may or may not do a running podcast tonight. activity!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

please don't rain

tonight my bf and i are going to the island. we tried to go twice last week but it rained or threatened to rain on both wednesday and friday. it's annoying because i have to pack all of this stuff in the morning, and then just lug it all home in the evening. i had to take the subway again this morning (so i can go to the island and not leave my bike hanging around the office) and i had to wait for 3 cars to go by at the yonge station before i was able to get on. and THEN there was this man with horrible B.O. squishing into me. i thought i might barf.

anyway. i guess i'm not having a very good day. my bra today wasn't fitting well so i took my measurements and plugged them into this online calculator. 35 pounds ago i was a 34C and now i am a 36A! obviously i'd rather have this size than be back where i started... except all my bras are the wrong size! maybe i should get this ipod bra and wear it all the time.



here is today's menu:

morning cereal popping in mouth (1)
oatmeal (2)
berries (0.5)
3.5/19

lunch:
soup to go (1)
bread (2)
cheese (2)
8.5/19

snack:
grapes (1)
yogurt (1)
10.5/19

dinner:
bagel (4)
cream cheese (2)
apple (1)
17.5/19

snack:
ranch rice cakes (2)
19.5/19

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

rainy tuesday

today is a rainy tuesday but i'm into it. except i had to take the subway to work and the car on the bloor line was SO HOT. what is up with the heat in some of these subway cars. very claustrophobia inducing! last night i had the most delicious taco salad. it was heavenly. the best part is that i only used half of my leftovers (except all the salad) so i can have it again tonight. i really don't mind eating the same thing a few days in a row. hey... if it's not broken...

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
smoothie (1)
bran flakes (2)
1/2 banana (1)
light silk soy (1)
5/19

lunch:
lean cuisine (6)
grapes (1)
12/19

dinner:
taco salad:
meat (5)
cheese (2)
shells (2)
veggies (0)
more delicious toppings (0)
21/19

activity:
running podcast (2)
elliptical (3)
5 big points

Monday, October 1, 2007

monday, alright!

happy monday everyone.

beginning this week i am going to count points religiously. (at least for this week.) i like my weight to hover between 120 and 125. i told myself that as soon as i see the number 125 i would snap back into action - and that's what i am going to do. for the rest of my life haha.

i went to the gym on saturday and did day two week two of the couch to 5k podcasts yesterday. then i ate a big fat piece of chocolate cake. it was very delicious.

word on the street yesterday went very well. it was very busy and i had a great time. i didn't get any books though... because i'm too poor.

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
smoothie consisting of:
small banana (1.5)
1/2 cup light silk soy (0.5)
yogurt (1)
a few strawberries (0)
1 tbsp PB2 peanut butter powder (0.5)
and all bran flakes cereal (not in the smoothie) (1)
4.5/19

lunch:
whole wheat bun (2)
lemon pepper tuna (2)
cheese (1)
tomato (0)
carrots (0)
9.5/19

dinner: taco salad
2 taco shells crushed (2)
100g taco meat (5)
40g cheese (2)
tomato (0)
red and green peppers (0)
salsa (0)
lettuce (0)
18.5/19

snack: maybe 2 slices ww toast if i'm hungry (1)
19.5/19

and if i go to the gym then maybe an after dinner snack too.